Bioengineering Body Parts

This 5.5 minute video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW examines the work of medical researchers who are developing new techniques to repair and replace failing human organs by growing them from a patient’s own cells, thus preventing organ rejection. Organs can be grown on both synthetic scaffolds and the nonliving protein skeleton of an existing organ. If perfected, the techniques could save the lives of thousands of people who die before donor organs become available.